Syverson (2011) - What Determines Productivity

From edegan.com
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Article
Has bibtex key
Has article title What Determines Productivity
Has author Syverson
Has year 2011
In journal
In volume
In number
Has pages
Has publisher
© edegan.com, 2016

Reference(s)

  • Syverson, C. (2011), "What Determines Productivity?", Journal of Economic Literature, (forthcoming). Author's website pdf

Abstract

Economists have shown that large and persistent differences in productivity levels across businesses are ubiquitous. This finding has shaped research agendas in a number of fields, including (but not limited to) macroeconomics, industrial organization, labor, and trade. This paper surveys and evaluates recent empirical work addressing the question of why businesses differ in their measured productivity levels. The causes are manifold, and differ depending on the particular setting. They include elements sourced in production practices-and therefore over which producers have some direct control, at least in theory-as well as from producers’ external operating environments. After evaluating the current state of knowledge, I lay out what I see are the major questions that research in the area should address going forward.